DE19944649C2 - Electronic pulse evaluation device for controlling electrodes for use in muscles, nerves and organs - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a control device for reactivating human beings Muscles, namely a paralyzed body part, in particular a paralyzed leg, wherein at least one electrode is provided for delivering an electrical pulse, wherein a pulse evaluation unit in the form of an electronic circuit on a Microchip is provided and the electrode can be activated via a pulse transmitter.

In the prior art, differently designed control devices are at the beginning known type known. First of all, a corresponding control Device for reactivating human muscles is known. Which also includes first an electrode for delivering an electrical pulse, or other electronic Blocks or a correspondingly trained circuit that is on a microchip is provided, wherein a pulse evaluation unit is provided which receives the pulses Evaluates the pulse transmitter, the electrode then being activated accordingly, thus emits or "fires" an electrical impulse, so that the corresponding nerve pathway or the muscle fiber is "activated".

Control devices are also in the journal "Biomedical Technology" (Volume 44, Issue 5/1999, p. 114 ff.) Or from the journal "IEEE Transactions on biomedical engineering "(No. 7, July 1987, p. 499 ff.), in which corresponding electrodes mostly implantable in part in the human body or in human tissue are, but all are controlled accordingly with cables or with wires, in particular connected to a pulse evaluation unit via cables or wires are.

The control devices known in the prior art are not yet optimal educated. On the one hand, several electrodes are connected via appropriate cable or Controlled wire connections, sometimes there is only one for several electrodes Pulse evaluation unit and the pulse transmitter always close to the pulse evaluation Unit usually has to be worn by the user. For a user, the familiar one Control device is therefore not optimal and not very comfortable to wear.

The invention is therefore based on the object of the control device at the beginning mentioned type in such a way that it is easier for a user is to be borne, in particular the controllability of the electrodes and the design of the entire control device are simplified.

The task shown above is now achieved in that the control device is designed that this as a highly integrated overall unit of stimulation electrode or Sensing electrode and pulse evaluation unit without any cable connections between or implantable and positionable in muscle fiber and / or nerves and that one Large number of total units wirelessly from the outside, namely from the external pulse transmitter are controllable, the energy supply of the entire units by means of an inductive Coupling is done. By this design of the control device, which is between or in Muscle fibers or nerves can be positioned accordingly, are described above Disadvantages avoided, since now all components with the exception of the external Pulse transmitters are implanted within human tissue. In particular, the fact that the pulse evaluation unit can now be controlled wirelessly has also been eliminated required cables or wires. As a result, the comfort for the user is considerable increased, and the entire control device and its handling significantly simplified.

A preferred exemplary embodiment will now be described in more detail below:
A large number of electrodes are required to irritate muscle fibers or nerves. The electronic device described in the following makes it possible to both selectively control electrodes and to decide on a pulse output. The controller tells the electrode when it is "on" and whether it should "fire" or not.

Through a high level of integration of the electronic components of the Device, e.g. B. on a microchip, electrodes develop so small that they are between or in Muscle fibers or nerves can be placed.

This also enabled glandular cells or areas of the brain selectively stimulate. The same applies to other organs.

Since the circuit is controlled externally via a pulse transmitter takes place, the usual supply cables are omitted.  

principle of operation

A pulse transmitter transmits pulses over a short distance (centimeters to a few meters) to an area of the body in which electrodes have been implanted. These electrodes contain the pulse evaluation device described below:
A pulse shaper stage (e.g. Schmitt trigger) receives the pulses transmitted by a pulse transmitter and processes them into rectangular pulses and forwards the pulses to a counter.

The number of counter levels is based on the Field of application or the electrodes to be controlled.

4096 electrodes can be controlled with a 12 bit binary counter. Over 16,000 electrodes can be used control a 16 bit counter.

Using a 7-bit counter 128 electrodes can be controlled, 1 to 16 electrodes a 4 bit counter with 256 electrodes an 8 bit counter. The same applies to synchronous counters Which binary counter type (synchronous or asynchronous, 1-stage or up to 20-stage) is used the area of application.

The circuitry following the counter outputs must be adapted to the number of binary stages (fewer or more inputs of the nand gate, fewer or more inverters before the inputs of the nand gate), but is basically the same for all counters:
The outputs of a counter are connected to a Nand gate. According to the number of the electrode, only the counter outputs are connected to the Nand gate, which code in binary form for the electrode. This circuit tells the electrode that it is "on".

If you use a counter with positive output logic 1 = high and 0 = low. Because the outputs of the counter Switch states in binary code, the low- Inverted states for coupling to a Nand gate become. For example, electrode No. 81 can be controlled in the binary code 1010001. For electrode 106, 1101010 results.  

For switching the electrode's nand gate For example, No. 81 will be the three H = 1 outputs of the meter directly connected to the Nand gate. The low = 0 outputs must be individually via inverters be fed to the Nand gate. For every electrode results from the associated binary code another pattern of direct connection and Connection via inverter between meter and Nand Gate. The same would apply if you instead of the nand gate would use an AND gate. In the drawings of the control variants are the connections between meter levels and low Gates (direct connections and inverters) as switches shown. This only serves to clarify the principle. In the manufacture of the pulse evaluation device the connections are made according to the binary code the electrode without switch.

The output of the nand gate is via an inverter switched to a gate level.

(When using an AND gate instead of the Nand gate there is no inverter).

The gate stage is used to measure the transit time of the pulse signal. The gate stage is formed from a delay element and two inverters connected to the respective inputs of one And gates are connected. Instead of the delay Links can also run multiple inverters in series delayers can be used (variant).

From the combination of the AND gate with the Delay element (or inverter chain) at the second input of the AND gate and the inverters at the first input of the And gate a gate step is formed, which tells the electrode whether it should "fire" or not.

By changing the pulse width of the transmitting pulse transmitter can go through after of pulse shaper and counter the pulse width or Pulse duration of the nand gate can be controlled.  

A short pulse from the Nand gate causes that the pulse at the first input of the AND gate is only brief Time is available and has already expired, if it has an impulse on the delay time on second input of the AND gate arrives.

Then the AND gate does not switch through.

A long pulse from the Nand gate causes that at both inputs of the AND gate same potential is present. Because the nand gate pulse after passing through the delay element on the second Input of the AND gate is present, and the pulse of the nand gate at the first input of the AND gate is still present with an extended pulse duration, switches the AND gate through.

A driver stage is connected downstream of the AND gate.

In the case of switching the AND gate in the driver stage the pulse is amplified as long as it is present at the output of the AND gate.

This amplified impulse is sent to the downstream one Electrode passed and to stimulate a muscle, Nerves, brain areas, gland or other organ used. Instead of the stimulation electrode, the one presented Pulse evaluation unit also attached to a sensing unit be coupled, which is addressed via the pulse evaluation unit can be and tele information in a time interval can transmit metrically.

example

Right leg able to walk, there 1000 pulse evaluation Units coupled and implanted with sensing units. These pulse evaluation units are from the external pulse transmitter addressed and queried one after the other. This results in a movement scheme of muscles. If now the left leg paralyzed, time-shifted pulses can be evaluated in 1000 pulse evaluations units are transmitted using stimulation electrodes are coupled in the paralyzed leg. This could be done Restore walking ability.  

The reset of the circuit is triggered externally by the pulse transmitter. This has three advantages:

• - The amount of electrodes addressed can be limited become. Is used in all pulse evaluation units from Electrodes z. B. uses a counter that is up to 4096 or even 16348 can count, but should only count the first 200 electrodes will be addressed, the reset pulse after the 200th Electrode triggered.
• - The system can only be expanded by implanting further pulse evaluation units with electrodes. The reset pulse after e.g. B. the 485th or Xth electrode can be triggered.
  It is not necessary to change the electrode system. Only the reset pulse has to be programmed in the control transmitter and transferred to the pulse evaluation units and electrodes.
• - All electrodes can be synchronized in one go, if a transmission error should occur.

The reset circuit consists of a gate stage, as it already does was described above (delay element or inverter chain at the second input of an AND gate and two inverters at first input of the AND gate).

The pulse transfer time (delay) must be chosen in this way that it is longer than the time it takes to Switching through the gate level is required to "fire" the Pulse evaluation unit affects.

The pulse coming from the pulse shaper stage arrives to the input of the first counter stage. The same impulse will switched to the two inputs of the AND gate.

Here the pulse is applied via a delay element (or inverter chain) to the second input of the AND gate. The first input of the AND gate is via two inverters connected to the output of the pulse shaper stage.

The output of the AND gate controls the reset inputs the counter levels that are connected.

Just an impulse that is longer than the sum of positive Half wave (positive square pulse ("whether it is your turn") and Modulation ("fire") can trigger the reset pulse.  

application areas

Reduction of failures in muscles, nerves. Glandular cells, brain areas, spinal cord and others Organs by the electronic pulse evaluators described here.

characters

Protection of a group of pulse evaluators is requested from 1 to 20 bits. The focus will be on the sub the pulse analyzer is shown. The representation of pulse evaluators with J-K flip-flops applies analogously also for RS flip-flops, since both types are related do not differentiate the connection diagram.

Pulse evaluator with fewer or more counters as the 12 bit and 16 bit counter shown differ in the number of counters in the Size of the nand gate or the size of the and gate and the number of inverters. A fundamental difference does not exist here. For an individual presentation, therefore to be dispensed with.

• 1. 12 bit T flip-flop counter with nand gate and Delay.
• 2. 12 bit T flip-flop counter with nand gate and Inverter chain.
• 3. 12 bit T-flip-flop counter with and gate and Delay.
• 4. 12 bit T flip-flop counter with and gate and Inverter chain.
• 5. 16 bit J-K flip-flop counter with nand gate and delay element.
• 6. 16 bit J-K flip-flop counter with nand gate and inverter chain.
• 7. 16 bit J-K flip-flop counter with and gate and delay element.
• 8. 16 bit J-K flip-flop counter with and gate and inverter chain.
• 9. Combination of a delay element and an inverter chain using the example of a 16 bit J-K flip-flop counter. Accordingly, instead of of the delay element set an inverter chain and vice versa.

Claims (1)

Control device for reactivating human muscles, namely a paralyzed body part, especially a paralyzed case nes, wherein at least one electrode for delivering an electrical Im pulses is provided, with a pulse evaluation unit in the form of a electronic circuit is provided on a microchip and wherein the electrode can be activated via a pulse transmitter, thereby ge indicates that the control device is designed so that this as a highly integrated overall unit of stimulation electrode or sen Singing electrode and pulse evaluation unit without any cable connection implantable between or in muscle fibers and / or nerves and is positionable and that a variety of total units wire off from the outside, namely controllable by the external pulse transmitter are, the energy supply of the total units by means of an induc tive coupling takes place.